No to the EU. Not without a vote.
We, the undersigned, say to Prime Minister Mark Carney: Before Canada enters into any European Union "associate membership" arrangement, Canadians have a right to know exactly what it means — including whether it would involve European laws, European courts, European borders or European budgets.
Publish the terms. Put them before the House of Commons. Debate them in Canada, on the record, and hold a vote.
Until you do: No to the EU.
On Thursday morning, Mark Carney stood in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and welcomed a proposal for Canada to become the European Union's first-ever "associate member."
What's an "associate member" of the European Union?
That's the problem. There is currently no EU "associate membership" status, and the details of what this new relationship would mean for Canada have yet to be defined.
Canada and the EU are already discussing a much deeper relationship involving trade, defence, energy, critical minerals, technology, financial services and greater opportunities for Canadians and Europeans to live, work and study on either side of the Atlantic.
Those are significant changes. Canadians deserve to know exactly what we're signing up for before anything is agreed.
What rules would Canada have to follow? Would there be freedom of movement? Would Canada have to adopt European regulations? Would European courts have any role? Would Canada have to pay into European programs or institutions?
We don't know yet. And that's exactly why Canadians deserve answers.
Carney has now said he will not sign a new deal with the EU until Parliament has an opportunity to vote on it. Good. Let's hold him to that commitment.
Publish the terms. Tell Canadians exactly what "associate membership" means. Debate it in Canada, on the record, and put MPs on the record with a vote.
Sign the petition now to make sure Carney knows how we feel.
How did we get here?
Canadians first learned about the possibility of "associate membership" through media reports. Then European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen publicly proposed opening the door to Canada becoming the EU's first associate member.
The next day, Carney addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg and said: "Canada welcomes this ambition."
The Prime Minister's own office now describes the proposed Canada-EU relationship as one that would be "far deeper and more integrated."
But the details still matter enormously.
We already have a trade deal with Europe
Canada already has a major trade agreement with Europe through CETA. If the government wants to go beyond that and create an entirely new relationship with the European Union, Canadians deserve to know what Canada would gain, what obligations Canada would assume and what this new "associate membership" actually means.
CETA has been in effect provisionally since 2017, and Europe should already be looking to Canada for energy. Canadian and European officials are supposed to be actively discussing energy security and LNG, including connecting Canadian projects with potential European buyers.
So why does selling more Canadian energy to Europe require a new and undefined "associate member" status?
Canada doesn't need a new political status to sell oil and gas to Europe. We need the pipeline infrastructure to get Canadian energy to market.
Trade more with Europe? Absolutely. Sell them Canadian energy? Absolutely. But if the government wants to go beyond trade and create an entirely new relationship with the European Union, Canadians deserve to know exactly what Canada would gain, what obligations Canada would assume and what "associate membership" actually means.
No to the EU. Not without a vote.
This isn't about whether Canadians like Europe. It's about whether a major new arrangement with the European Union should be entered into before Canadians know its terms.
Carney says Parliament will get a vote. Let's make sure Canadians get the full details first.
Sign the petition and tell the government: publish the terms, debate them in Parliament and put MPs on the record.
After you sign, send NoToTheEU.com to five friends and ask them to add their names too.
